


Give Love on Christmas Day

by BriMarie



Series: Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-ling in Love [3]
Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: A little angst, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Give love on Christmas day, Merry Christmas, Nini Salazar roberts - Freeform, Ricky Bowen Loves Nini Salazar-Roberts, Ricky Bowen Needs A Hug (HSMTMTS), Song fic, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, christmas surprise, high school musical the musical the series - Freeform, hsmtmts, inspired by a song, ricky bowen - Freeform, rini - Freeform, rini christmas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:27:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27889000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BriMarie/pseuds/BriMarie
Summary: It's the most wonderful time of the year, the sleigh bells are ringing, carolers are singing, yet Ricky isn't feeling jolly due to the painful absence of his mother this year. Lucky for him, he has a guardian angel looking out for him.
Relationships: Ricky Bowen & Nini Salazar-Roberts, Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts
Series: Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-ling in Love [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2012539
Comments: 4
Kudos: 27





	Give Love on Christmas Day

East High has been exploding with Christmas cheer since the first of December, and it only got more intense with every passing day. Kids and faculty members were exchanging gifts in the hallways, eating gingerbread men during classes, and humming Mariah Carey under their breaths.

Today was the day before winter break. At the moment, the theater gang had been all talking about their Christmas plans at their lunch table. Ashlyn had been going on about the Caswell's tradition of having a pie baking competition, Carlos spoke of his uncle forcing everyone to go caroling, Seb had said something about deep frying turkeys in his front yard, and the others all pitched in their family's little traditions. 

Everyone had gleeful smiles, were laughing amongst themselves, and making jokes. Well, almost everyone. On the end of the table, a silent and straight faced Ricky had been sitting as he listened to his friends speak. 

He had been aimlessly playing with the ends of his sleeves. He had no intention on bringing up any family traditions and thought his silence wouldn't draw any form of attention to him. It seemed to be working on the rest of the friends, but not Nini. 

Nini always picked up on his social cues. It was one of the many side effects of being friends with someone for over a decade. Ashlyn, completely oblivious to his gloominess, had turned her attention to him. "Ricky, what're you doing for Christmas? Have any traditions?" 

Ricky hadn't even noticed someone had spoken or that everyone's eyes were on him. Nini had lightly nudged his arm to get his attention. He jumped at the contact and blushed a bit at being caught not listening. 

"Oh I'm sorry Ash, what'd you say?" 

"I asked what your Christmas plans were. Anything exciting?" 

Nini watched his face become somber before quickly appearing cheerful. "Oh nothing too crazy. My parents and I will probably just do our usual dinner with the grandparents while listening to my dad's Christmas playlist. Pretty boring, but it is what it is." 

The others all nod, accepting his answer without a second thought. They all bring their attention to EJ when he starts talking about his favorite Christmas traditions except for Nini. She did not believe a single word that came from his mouth because she actually knew his family didn't commonly visit his grandparents due to them living in Montreal. 

He saw her looking at him in his side vision and raised a brow. "What's up?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"What?"

"Nothing." 

He scans her up and down before deciding to let this weird conversation pass. He picks up his things and gets up from his seat. He looks down at her. "I'm gonna head out early. I forgot I had an assignment due by next period." 

"Okay, see you in the car." 

He just nods before making his way to the exit. She watched him as he slowly disappeared from her line of sight. She knew in her soul that he was hiding something from her, which was unlike him. He was always open with her about heavy topics. She made a mental note to ask him about it later.

He had been pretty distant the rest of the day with the whole gang, which confirmed Nini's suspicion that something was up. He was never anti-social unless he was really upset. He had been quiet during the ride to her house; the only sound that could be heard was the radio playing in the background. 

She let out a exaggerated sigh, which made him look over at her. "That's your upset sigh. What's wrong?" 

She faces her body to his. "No Ricky, you tell me what's wrong."

He scrunches his face. "What're you talking about?" 

She rolled her eyes. "Oh please Ricky, you know damn well that you've been upset about something all day. Are you going to tell me so I can help you or continue to pretend there's nothing wrong?" 

He stays silent for a moment as he turned into her subdivision. "I don't know what you're referring to Neens."

She groaned and folded her arms as she faced forward. "Fine, be that way." 

She remained cold for the short remainder of the ride to her driveway. When he parked the car, he gazed over at her to see she had been visibly annoyed. "See you tomorrow." 

She doesn't even meet his eye as she opens the door. He sighed in defeat when he knew she'd be like this until he confessed. He gently held onto her arm. 

"Wait." She stopped and looked over at him, remaining silent to allow him to speak. He rubbed his hand over his face. "You were right, okay?"

She closes her door and rests her hand on top of his. "I'm listening." 

He stares at their touching hands as he musters up the courage to speak. "I was disheartened all day by everyone talking about Christmas."

Nini didn't expect that answer. "Really? You never were like that prior years. I know Christmas isn't your favorite, but I didn't realize it was that serious." 

"Well, you're right. I usually just feel meh about it, but this year is different because someone's missing."

She was confused at first until she remembered this past summer. His parents had split, and his mom had moved to Chicago the second the papers were signed. Apparently, she managed to make Ricky feel as if she divorced him too.

"Is she not coming down?"

He shrugs without making eye contact with her, fearing he'd tear up if he saw her sympathetic face. "I've been waiting to hear back from her. I called last week after she missed Thanksgiving, but she hasn't responded. So only time will tell I guess."

Nini felt awful for making him feel obligated to say this. "I'm so sorry Ricky. I know you haven't been coping with her absence well, and I feel like a dick for making you confess."

He waves her off. "No, don't feel guilty. I was gonna tell you soon regardless. It felt nice to get it off my chest anyways. It's been bothering me for a few weeks now, but it heightened when you guys started talking about your plans."

Nini still felt shameful despite not knowing that they'd been making him feel bad. "I'm still sorry. If you need anything, come to me. You know my door is always open for you."

"I know. Thank you Neens; it means a lot." 

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug. He smiles as he hugs her back. 

"Seriously, let me know if you're having an off day. I'm gonna be free all break."

"Got it."

"And don't you dare to try to hide your emotions again. It's bad for you."

He chuckled. "I know Neens." 

"Also, make sure you-"

He pulls away from their hug and cups her face. "Nini, I said I'd contact you. I promise." 

She feels reassured when she sees the honesty in his eyes. "Alright, but I'm checking up on you every day."

He made his first genuine laugh in weeks. "I don't doubt that."

She pecks his cheek before finally releasing him. "I'll call you later." 

"Looking forward to it." 

She gave him a friendly smile before closing the passenger door. He waited until she got into her house before pulling off. 

His smile faltered on the ride to his house the more he thought of his mother and knew that he was probably going to be contacting her a lot more than he intended to.

***

Another week went by with no call from his mom, and he was slowly feeling his heart break. He did take Nini's advice about not keeping his feelings inside because he knew that it'd end badly if he had.

He had stayed over at her house most of the time, only going home to sleep and sometimes eat with his dad. He hung out with other friends too on the better days, but most of the time it was just the two of them.

Today had been one of those bad days. He had texted her that he was outside her house at 9 in the morning on a Sunday because he couldn't stand being in that house at the moment.

He told her to distract him from his intrusive thoughts, and she thought of the first activity that came to mind, ice skating. She got dressed appropriately, wrote a note for her moms, and had him drive them to the ice rink.

He had been skeptical about this little trip at first, but he found himself having fun and forgetting about his mom for a little bit. Apparently, Nini had advanced her ice skating ability and felt the need to show off to him. 

"I don't know how you manage to balance so well when you spin on these knives as shoes on our feet."

She giggled at his description. "I can't explain it; I just do it."

"Bet you can't do a full 360 without stumbling or falling."

"Oh please, I could do that in my sleep Bowen. Watch and learn."

She skates to the middle of the rink and gives him a cocky smile. She lifts her leg and begins spinning on one blade in five circles just to show off. She lands flawlessly and gracefully and glides back to him.

"Okay, I stand corrected."

She flipped her hair dramatically. "Shouldn't have challenged me honey. Now you look like a dumbass."

He pretends to be offended. "Um excuse me, but I thought this little activity was supposed to be about cheering me up not downplaying my intelligence."

"Well if you don't want me to call you a dumbass, then don't act like one."

He playfully shoved her shoulder. "Rude!"

She copies his action. "I call it as I see it."

He shoved her again. "Hey!"

She went for another shove, but he moves away in time causing her to tumble into him. He almost fell but was able to hold them both up. She ended up with her cheek on his upper chest. His head had been resting on top of hers.

"You good Neens?"

She nods. "Yeah." She looks up at him to see he had already been looking at her. She quickly realized their faces were extremely close to each other and blushed. 

"Sorry for almost making us fall." He absentmindedly rubs up her back making this moment even more intimate. She felt an unfamiliar bashfulness come over her. 

"Um, it's whatever."

He smiles at her, which usually didn't make her feel butterflies but for some reason it was. She pulls away from him. "You know, I could eat. I forgot to get something for breakfast before we came."

"I'll get you something from concessions as a thank you for putting up with my home life problems without complaining once."

She grabs his hand. "I'd never complain about helping someone I care about." 

He squeezes her hand. "Yeah, that's what makes you so sweet."

She blushes a deeper red as she allowed him to drag her off the rink. She wasn't sure what to feel about her sudden butterflies. 

When she catches the joy on his face, she forgets her stupid feelings and was more focused on how happy she was to see him this way again. 

***

Seb had thrown a little Xmas party on his farm during the break. None of the friends knew of his mom issues besides Nini. 

Nini had asked him if he wanted to skip it and do something else, but he declined stating he had no problem hanging with friends regardless of the theme of the party. 

Nini had been eyeing him the whole party to make sure he wasn't off. From the looks of it, he was doing pretty well for his situation. Maybe he'd get through this after all. She watched him from the living room placing marshmallows in his hot cocoa next to Big Red.

Big Red had purposely put some whip cream in Ricky's mug knowing Ricky wasn't too fond of it. Ricky then picked up the can and began spraying Red with it, causing the redhead to yelp. Nini let out a laugh as she watched the scene unfold in front of her.

She felt her heart warm at the sight of Ricky so full of life as Red chased him in the kitchen. She felt like he was finally getting back to his normal self. 

A little later, they had decided on watching _Elf_ before continuing their activities. Ricky had sat next to Nini with her cuddling into his body while his arm loosely hung on her shoulder. He'd occasionally glance over at her and smile as if he were trying to nonverbally tell her that he was fine.

She moved her lips close to his ear so she could whisper to him. "How you holding up?"

He beams. "Fantastic, glad we came."

She smiles. "Me too. Happiness looks good on you."

He pulls her closer to him, and she finds herself holding onto his body tighter. 

Minutes later, Ricky's phone begins vibrating. He takes a quick look at the screen, and his entire body stiffened. Nini noticed it immediately and looks up at him worried. 

"Who is it?"

He just gives her a blank look before standing up from the couch. "I'll be in the other room."

Ricky walked into the empty hallway and pressed the answer button. 

"Ricky?"

"Mom." He says monotoned. 

"Hey honey, how are you? Felt like I haven't heard your voice in ages."

He bit his tongue on the snarky remark he desperately wanted to say back. "I'm doing good I guess."

"That's nice dear. I'm so sorry it took me so long to get back to you, but you know how work is. Also, it doesn't help that I've been busy unpacking. Honestly, I don't even remember owning this much stuff. Any who, I was just getting back to the voicemail you left me a while back."

The phone went silent for a few seconds, and Ricky could almost see his mother's face in his head. She took long pauses in between words when she had bad news.

"I'm sorry baby, but I won't be coming down for Christmas. It just isn't in the cards."

Ricky felt his heart shatter. He didn't even know what exactly he was feeling right now. It was almost as if he felt anger, resentment, confusion, and sadness all at once.

"I know you're probably wondering why I've been so distant."

That seemed to be the last straw for him. It was almost like a build up of all his negative feelings towards his mom. He didn't know which emotion to express first, so he just went with whichever one came out.

"You know what? You can keep your pitiful excuse to yourself. I'm over it. You already skipped Thanksgiving and a few other holidays before; what's one more, right? I guess I'm not worth the plane ticket for you."

"Ricky, don't say that."

"What?! It's true! This isn't anything new. You and I have never exactly been on the best of terms. Since you've moved to Chicago, it seems abundantly clear that our relationship is borderline estranged. I mean, who waits four weeks to call back their only child? I'm no expert on parenting, but I'm pretty sure I know that you should respond at least within a few days."

"That isn't fair!"

"No mom, what isn't fair is that I have to be the one to reach out to _you_ , the _parent,_ in order to even have some form of relationship."

Ricky takes a breathing break to recollect his thoughts before continuing again.

"I'm just so sick of your shit mom. So fucking sick."

Her silent weep can be heard on the other side of the phone. He felt bad for a moment but quickly realized that she was in the wrong, not him.

"Ricky, I-I have to go. Work stuff and all..."

He sighed. "Yeah, of course you do."

"Bye honey, I love you. Talk to you as soon as I can, okay?"

He rolled his eyes knowing damn well that was a lie. He doesn't even say goodbye before clicking end call and aggressively shoving his phone in his hoodie. He rested his back against the wall behind him allowing himself to replay the conversation in his head.

The more he thought of it, the more angry and dispirited he'd get. He hadn't even registered he was crying until a tear landed on the floor in front of his shoe. He had lost his desire to be here and figured he should head home for the day.

He stepped out of the hallway into the kitchen. The rest of the gang had been laughing at Buddy the Elf's antics, but Nini had been sitting near the counter as if she were waiting for him.

Her face fell at the sight of him. She already knew something was up by the tear stains on his cheeks.

"Oh my god, Ricky what happened?" She whispered.

He shrugged and wiped a tear. "Nothing happened."

She took a step closer to him. "I'm not dumb Ricky."

She attempted to hold his hand, but he backed away. 

"I'm just gonna head home. You think you can find a ride back?"

"Yes, but Ricky what's-"

"Great, bye Nini."

Before she could get another word in, he zoomed pass her to the exit. The others all finally pay attention to him as they watch him enter his car.

"Why's he leaving so early? It's a sleepover." Seb asks.

Nini just shrugs. "Dad wanted him home." She lied. The friends accept the answer fairly quick and continue to watch the movie. Nini on the other hand was concerned for her best friend. 

She had a feeling this was a lot worse than she thought.

***

He completely blocks everyone out for the next few days. He only gave brief updates to Nini so they know he's still breathing. Nini has never seen him this bad. Even when his parents divorced, he still spoke to her.

She had tried texting and calling him asking if he wanted to go somewhere to keep his mind off his phone call or maybe talk to her, but he always rejected using some lame half assed excuse.

The others tried to contact him too but had no luck either. When the eighth day passed of no Ricky, Nini decided that going in person would probably be her best bet.

She pulls up to his doorstep and rings the doorbell. She knew his dad was at work since the car was gone and that Ricky was home since his skateboard was on the porch. After a full minute of waiting, no one answered.

She rings the doorbell again but a little more harshly. Silence. She groans before banging on the door.

"Ricky, I know you're home. Just open the door so we can talk. We all miss you and wanna see you. Everyone is really worried."

She waited for a response, but she was only greeted with more silence. Something in her told her he was listening though, so she continued talking.

"I don't know what that phone call was about, but it obviously deeply troubled you. I just wanted you to know that all of us love you and will be here when you're ready to talk, especially me."

She pulled out a bag of skittles from her jacket pocket and placed it on the mat. "I brought you some skittles. I know how much you love them and that they're your stress food. I'm gonna head out. I really wish I could speak to you. Take care of yourself."

She waits a few more seconds hoping that maybe he'd come out, but sighed in defeat when she heard no movement on the other side. She finally left the premises.

Soon after she pulled out of his driveway, his front door opened. He reached down and picked up the skittles. He still could see her car in the horizon and felt guilty for ignoring her. 

He had been listening the whole time and desperately wanted to open the door and hug her tight, but he didn't. He knows she's just trying to help him, but he wasn't ready to talk about his mom yet.

He grazes his thumb over the skittles bag. "Sorry Nini." He closes his door and tries his best to nap like he was doing before. But every time he closed his eyes, he could only see her.

***

She had been strolling around the park to get her daily exercise when she saw a familiar head of chocolate curls in her line of sight. There stood Ricky sitting on a park bench gazing at the lake in front of him. He had looked so lost in thought that she was sure he didn't even notice her.

She realized this was the perfect opportunity to find out what was going on. She slides in the empty spot beside him. When he saw her, he got spooked out.

"Nini?!"

"Richard."

"W-what're you doing here? You don't usually come here."

"Neither do you."

"Fair point."

A moment of silence goes by. Nini looks at him expectingly, and Ricky already knew what she was waiting for.

"I'm sorry for ignoring you and our friends. I've just been occupied with my thoughts."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't stop thinking about that phone call. It haunts me no matter what I do."

Nini scooted closer to him and rests her palm on his upper thigh. "Ricky, what happened that day?"

He sighed and finally glanced over at her. "My mom...she's not coming."

Nini frowned and rubbed his thigh soothingly. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"That's not even the part I'm most upset about. She never seems to even try, you know? I feel like she doesn't come down to visit because she just can't stand the sight of me. I try to reach out, but she only seems to push me away every single time. It's getting exhausting."

He watched as Nini brings her hand to his cheek and realized she was wiping away a tear. She patiently waits for him to continue.

"Even though she says it, I feel like she doesn't love me. Maybe I did something without realizing, or I'm just not worth the effort."

She wanted to cry for him but didn't want to bring attention to herself with her tears. She cupped his face. "What can I do?"

"I could really use one of your hugs right now."

She just smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug. He dug his face into the crook of her neck as he held on tight to her. 

Neither knows how long they sat their in one another's arms, but all he knows is that this was the best he's felt in over a week.

***

Ricky had really only spoken to her since then. He had told her that he wasn't feeling the Christmas spirit at all and planned on just going downstairs to speak with his dad a little bit before retiring to his room for the rest of Christmas day.

It killed Nini inside that he planned on spending such a jolly holiday in a depressing manner, and she'd be damned if she let him. The second he told her that, she began scheming up something to make him feel loved and cared about.

On Christmas Day, his dad had woken him up from his late afternoon slumber. He let out a yawn as he rubbed his eyes. "What is it dad?"

His dad perked up. "Get dressed. We're going out."

Ricky raises a brow in suspicion. "Out where; the movies or maybe a 24 hour diner for dinner?"

Mike shook his head. "Neither. Just get ready and meet me downstairs in ten minutes. Bring a coat."

His dad didn't wait for Ricky to ask anymore questions as he quickly exited his room. Ricky eyes where his dad was standing for a moment, trying his best to process his words. 

He finally does as told and swiftly gets dressed. Mike grinned when he saw Ricky at the bottom of the staircase. 

"So are you gonna tell me where we're heading now?"

Mike shook his head. "Nope! Hop in the car. We've got places to be."

Ricky really wasn't in the mood for whatever this was. He just wanted to go back to sleep so he can forget this awful day. "But dad, I really wanna stay here since-"

"No buts, just get in the car."

Ricky groaned as he followed orders. His dad had put on some Christmas music and sang along quietly as he drove god knows where. He even tapped along to the beat on his steering wheel, which was extremely uncharacteristic of him.

Mike was a happy go lucky dude, but he was never the type to be this hyped up over Christmas tunes. Ricky stared down his dad skeptically.

"Dad, what's going on?"

Mike just gave him a side eye as he continued to sing along to the chorus of "Last Christmas." Ricky just rolled his eyes and stuffs his earphones in to block out the radio. As Ricky stared out the window, he noticed his dad was turning into a familiar neighborhood.

"Why're we in Nini's subdivision?"

Mike couldn't contain the playful smile on his face. "You'll see."

And see he did.

In the corner stood Seb and Carlos holding a confetti canon. When they spotted Mike's car, they shot a little towards it.

"Merry Christmas Ricky!" They say in unison.

Ricky was confused on why they were there but was happy to see them no less. "Thank you?"

As Mike rides through, Ricky spots EJ and Gina standing with huge signs that say "We love you Ricky" in bold. The pair had smiled and cheered as the car drove by. Ricky gave them both a smile and waved at them. When they were out of sight, he turned to his dad.

"What's happening?"

"It's your Christmas present."

"From you?"

"As much as I'd like to say that, I can't take the credit for this."

They turn another corner and are greeted with Kourtney, Big Red, and Ashlyn singing “Believe” from Polar Express and waving at him when they see him through the windshield. Ricky laughs a little when he realized they got Red to sing since he always would claim it's not his style. It was nice of him to do this for him though.

When they finally arrive at Nini's front door, he sees that there are lights on the ground directing to the backyard that wasn't there before. He was so focused on the lights that he didn't realize his dad had gotten out of the car until Mike opened the passenger door.

"Gonna sit here in the cold or follow me?"

Ricky doesn't have to think twice as he hops out of the sedan. Ricky follows behind Mike as they approach the backyard. When they open the back gates, a group of people yelled Merry Christmas.

He was startled a bit but calmed down when he saw it was a group of people he knew. He looked around and saw Nini and her moms, and his friends who must’ve drove back in time before he got there. That’d at least explain his dad’s slow driving.

“W-what’s all this?”

Nini smiled and walked up to him. “Didn’t your dad tell you? It’s your Christmas gift from us to you.”

Ricky felt the need to cry happy tears a bit but held off. “Really?”

She nods. “Yep! All for you. Everyone brought a little bit of their family’s traditional meals and games so we can all celebrate together. We knew you were having a tough time today, so I figured I’d throw this together for you. I can’t bring your mom back, but I can at least try to make you feel the Christmas cheer.”

He was at a loss for words. This was the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given him. He wrapped his arms around her, placing a brief peck on her head. She happily held him back.

“Thank you, this is just...wow. I don’t think I even know where to start.”

“You can start by having some of the treats everyone prepared for you. Carlos’ empanadas are to die for.” She gently grabbed his wrist and guided him to the kitchen. The others all gave him quick hugs and greetings as he walked by.

The next few hours were spent with plenty of laughter, fun games, and full bellies. While the party guest were singing obnoxiously to “Mistletoe,” Nini had pulled Ricky aside to the dining room.

“What’s up Neens?”

She reaches into her jacket pocket and pulls out a small box. “This is up.”

“Is this a gift?”

“What else would it be silly?”

“Neens, you already did more than enough for me. This party in itself is a gift. I surely don’t need another.”

“It’s one of the parts of your gift, and I already threw away the receipt.”

He takes the box from her hands and opens it. He feels his cheeks warm up when he sees it. It’s a pic of them when they were in kindergarten on a guitar pick. He remembers the story behind the picture oh too well.

They had been dressed up as Bonnie and Clyde for Halloween that year and had chocolate all over their faces. He smiled at the memory. He then flipped the pick around to see the words “To my best friend Ricky” imprinted in fancy cursive. 

“I remember you lost your guitar pick and kept forgetting to buy one, so I had one custom made. Hope you like it.”

“Like it? I love it! Thanks again Neens.” He brings her into another hug. “I feel bad I didn’t get you anything though.”

She just shrugs. “It’s fine. It’s not like you knew that we’d be having a Christmas party anyways. Besides, being with you on Christmas Day is already a gift.”

“God, I don’t deserve you Neens. No one ever will.”

She rested her chin on his chest. “Oh shush. Also, this isn’t even the final part of your gift.”

“Are you serious? Did you manage to get Santa Claus himself to come?”

She chuckled as she held his hand. “I’m not even able to do that, but I would’ve if I could.”

She led him outside and he gasped when he saw the sleigh ride for two in front of her house. She laughs when she sees his reaction.

“Judging by your face, I’m assuming you like this gift too?”

He looks at her and beams. “Somehow you’ve outdone the already amazing gifts you’ve given me. Fuck, this is so incredible.”

“It’d be more incredible to get on. We only have it for the next hour, so we should indulge it as long as we can.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice.” 

They run up to the sleigh, and he allows her to go in before him. They sit impossibly close to each other. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder while she wrapped both her arms around his frame. 

“Are you enjoying yourself?”

He nods and rubs his hand up and down her arm. “This is the best day I’ve had in months. You really went above and beyond to make me happy, and I’m so grateful for you. You have no idea how much this means to me. I think I’ll be replaying this day forever.”

“I’m so glad you like it. I was so scared you’d react negatively since you wanted to be alone today.”

“I’d never be upset to see my friends, especially you. You mean the world to me.”

She hid her face in his chest. “Stop, you’re making me blush.”

“What? It’s 100% true. You’re my absolute favorite person in the entire universe.”

She incoherently mumbled something into his shirt. He delicately lifted her chin so he could see her face. She had been blushing madly from his compliments.

He took this moment to just admire her. She was so amazing, and he adored her like no other. He’s not sure if there was someone he’d ever admire more than her. She was so stunning, down to earth, and so nurturing. She was too perfect for this world.

He cupped her face and soothingly stroked her cheek. They got lost in one another’s eyes. He saw her flick her eyes down to his lips a few times. He found himself eyeing down her rosy lips, suddenly desiring to taste them.

He began closing the space in between, and she had done the same. When their lips finally touched, they both immediately melted into the kiss. She slithered her hand up his chest until it coiled around his neck to pull him closer. She roamed her hand through his curly locks, making him deepen the kiss.

He lifted her chin more so he had a better angle. She licks his bottom lip asking for permission to enter. He happily accepts her request and opens his mouth for her. Their tongues collide, eliciting a blissful sigh from the both of them. 

They depart only for a moment before smashing their lips together again. They kept pressing pecks in between before finally resting for some air since both were breathless. He placed his forehead on hers, still panting from their heavy make out session.

He pulled her leg over his lap, roaming his hand up her thigh. “Was that part of my Christmas gift from you too?” 

She giggles and lightly hits his chest. “That was improvised.”

“Well I’m definitely not complaining. Please improvise on me as much as you’d like.”

She placed a peck on his cheek. “You’re precious.”

“You’re one to talk.”

“Awe, Ricky.”

He begins trailing kisses along her neck and buried his face into the crook of her neck. “Despite all the amazing things you’ve given me tonight, this is by far my favorite gift.”

“The sleigh ride?”

He looks up from her neck. “No babe, the unconditional love you’ve given me. Not only tonight, but in general. And of course the sweet kisses.”

“Anything for you.”

“Speaking of gifts.” He brings her body closer and places more kisses on her neck. “How about I treat you to a date sometime this week? It’s the least I could do.”

She nodded and bit her lip to hold back a moan when he nibbled on her pulse point. “Yeah, that sounds amazing.”

She brought his face to hers and gave him a soft and gentle kiss. “Merry Christmas Ricky.”

He smiled and pecked the back of her hand. 

“Merry Christmas Nini.”

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas to the ones that celebrate it! Hope you got the presents you wanted or at least enjoyed the ones you got! What was your favorite gift you got? 
> 
> This ended up wayyyyy longer than I planned, but loved the way it turned out.
> 
> Next one shot might be the final one of the year, which will be posted on New Years Eve!


End file.
